Switch to: తెలుగు
Home Tags Corona Virus

Inter-Ministerial Central Team in AP to review corona situation, meets Jawahar Reddy

Telugu360
-
1
Inter-Ministerial Central Team in AP to review corona situation, meets Jawahar Reddy

A six-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) arrived in Andhra Pradesh to take stock of the corona virus situation as the number of positive cases climbed to 1,800 in the state.

The six-member team, including a senior public health specialist and a senior officer of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), held a meeting with special principal secretary (health) Jawahar Reddy on Friday and enquired about the situation in the state, especially about Kurnool, Guntur and Krishna districts where high number of positive cases were reported. On his part, Jawahar Reddy reportedly told the Inter-Ministerial Central Team that the high number of cases in the three districts was because of the increased testing.

The team will monitor hotspots in the state, mainly Kurnool, Guntur and Krishna districts which reported 7, 10 and 16 fresh cases in the last 24 hours taking their respective count to 540, 373 and 316. The team will first visit Guntur on Friday and review the situation there.

Other districts that reported high instances of infections include Nellore (96), Kadapa (96), Chittoor (82), Anantapur (83), Prakasam (61), West Godavari (59), East Godavari (46), Visakhapatnam (36) and Srikakulam (5). Vizianagaram lost its corona-free status on Thursday after the district reported three positive cases of Covid-19. The district reported the three cases after almost two months (56 days) since the first positive case was reported in the State.

The team will assess health infrastructure, disaster management, review the hospitalisation facilities in the state, preparation of the state in terms of available beds, ramping up the number of hospitals and care centres dedicated to Covid-19 management.

The central team will review the medical facilities at various hospitals and facilities in the state, assess the level of testing, availability of PPE and masks for health professionals, availability of oxygen beds, ICUs, number of surveillance teams. The team will submit a detailed report on the situation in the state following which a central plan of action will be suggested to further contain the virus and issue necessary directions to the Andhra Pradesh government for redressal. The central government has already sent inter-ministerial teams to monitor certain hotspot districts in several states including, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal among others.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Lockdown violation: Heavy queues outside liquor stores in AP

Telugu360
-
1
Lockdown violation: Heavy queues outside liquor stores in AP

Drinking alcohol will weaken the immunity system and can make the Corona virus worse, the WHO warned. Who cares? As the YSRCP ruling in a hurry to fill its coffers allowed alcohol to flow in the state, queues snaked several liquor stores in Andhra Pradesh as thirsty tipplers thronged the outlets in the green and orange zones on Monday after the government permitted restricted liquor sales.

After being closed for over two months of lockdown, a surge of tipplers raided the shelves at liquor stores and wine shops across the green and orange zones with the government allowing standalone shops to sell liquor between 11 am to 7 pm from today.

Following the guidelines of the Centre, physical distance should be maintained at liquor outlets, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed officials on Sunday at a review meeting. Persons visiting the shops will have to maintain social distance of at least six feet, but this norm was violated across the state even as the police tried to regulate the queues. Each person is allowed to buy only two bottles.

In some places in the districts, people had reportedly began queuing up in the night itself. As per the central government guidelines, the state government gave a directive to the liquor stores that at any given time no more than five persons will be allowed at such shops, to avoid chances of contracting the deadly disease. There were no markings outside the liquor stores where people will need to stand before they can purchase. Many of the tipplers were seen without masks, a norm for purchase of alchohol. As per the norm, no more than five persons at any given time should not be allowed. Even this mandate was violated at several places. Staff at some liquor stores were also seen without masks and gloves.

At most liquor stores, people queued up as early as 8 am to buy liquor even as alcohol got expensive by at least 25 per cent. On Saturday, the government hiked the cost of liquor by 25 percent. IMFL quarter bottles above Rs 150 will be dearer by Rs 60, Rs 40 hike on quarter bottles priced between Rs 120-Rs 150, Rs 120 and Rs 240 hike on half and full bottles respectively, while quarter bottles priced below Rs 120 have been hiked by Rs 20. The government is likely to shore up an additional Rs 4,500 crore to its coffer by hiking liqour prices by 25 per cent. A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister on Sunday at a review meeting held at his camp office in Tadepalli.

On Saturday, the Andhra Pradesh government has lifted restrictions on production of alcohol in distilleries and breweries subject to the protocol and guidelines that are to be followed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Jagan government had issued an order in this regard giving permission to 20 distilleries to resume operations in their districts with immediate effect.

The Opposition was quick to react saying rather than solving the problems of the farmers and migrant workers, the state government was more worried about those into liquor trade. The Opposition leaders asked if the government was working for welfare of the people of Andhra Pradesh or are they working for profiteering of liquor distillery owners

TDP leader Kala Venkatrao said while the entire world was working hard to find vaccine to Covid-19, the YSRCP ruling was brewing alcohol in Andhra Pradesh at a time when the state was witnessing surging Corona positive numbers, .

He said the Jagan government had failed to show seriousness in providing medical gear to the frontline warriors, but exhibiting its overzealous approach in allowing distillers to brew alcohol. “Is the Jagan government opening more medical and pharmacy stores? The seriousness with which the government was working to profit from liquor sales by permitting distillers must be exhibited in containing corona virus. The government had failed to provide PPEs, N95 masks and gloves but looks too eager to allow liquor stores only to get commissions and kick-backs from liquor lobby,” the senior TDP leader said.

The liquor shops were opened at a time there were fewer shops are selling essentials. “Shops selling groceries and essentials are being closed but this government is permitting liquor stores. It clearly exposes this government’s dubious policy,” he said.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Get ready to buy booze: AP allows restricted sale of liquor

Telugu360
-
1
Get ready to buy booze: AP allows restricted sale of liquor

Alcohol consumption compromises the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes, warned the World Health Organisation. Alcohol consumption is associated with several communicable and non-communicable diseases that can make a person more vulnerable to covid-19, the WHO cautioned. However, the YSRCP ruling seems to be in a hurry to get alcohol flowing in the state. A day after, lifting restrictions on production of alcohol in distilleries and breweries, the Jagan led government has decided to allow restricted sale of alcohol by opening retail liquor stores.

On Sunday, the Jagan-led government in Andhra Pradesh has allowed sale of liquor in all green and orange zones, excluding containment zones, in order to deal with major drop in revenues. While standalone shops will be allowed to sell liquor in green zones, persons visiting the shops will have to maintain social distance of at least six feet. The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to open liquor stores is in line with the central government’s directive allowing liquor shops in designated green and orange zones in the country with effect from May 4, apart from allowing resumption of liquor sales in rural areas.

As per the central government guidelines, the state government gave a directive to the liquor stores that at any given time no more than five persons will be allowed at such shops, to avoid chances of contracting the deadly disease. Staff in liquor stores has to wear masks and gloves, and stores have to be regularly sanitized. Further, there will be sanitisers, gloves and a tray will will be used to collect payment and handover the bottles. Also, there will be markings outside where people outside where people will need to stand before they can purchase. .

On Saturday, the Andhra Pradesh government has lifted restrictions on production of alcohol in distilleries and breweries subject to the protocol and guidelines that are to be followed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Jagan government had issued an order in this regard giving permission to 20 distilleries to resume operations in their districts with immediate effect.

The owners of the distilleries were asked to ensure that their employees strictly maintain social distancing norm and that the staff cannot use lifts in their respective liquor making companies. The government order triggered hopes among tipplers that liquor would soon be available in the retail liquor stores. Allowing the production in distilleries and breweries is essential to shore up huge revenue from this sector.

The Opposition was quick to react saying rather than solving the problems of the farmers and migrant workers, the state government was more worried about those into liquor trade. The Opposition leaders asked if the government was working for welfare of the people of Andhra Pradesh or are they working for profiteering of liquor distillery owners

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Telangana’s 40% Covid patients in 21-40 age group

Telugu360
-
1
Telangana’s 40% Covid patients in 21-40 age group

Official data on novel coronavirus cases in Telengana has indicated that as many as 40 per cent of patients are in the age group of 21-40.

Gender-wise, more men have been affected than women. Officials said 66.5 per cent patients (705) are male and 33.5 per cent (356) female.

More than two months after reporting the first case, Telangana has come out with data relating to age- and gender-wise infection cases.

According to the Health Department, 21 per cent of the 1,061 Covid-19 cases in the state are aged between 21 and 30 and another 19 per cent between 31 and 40.

The data also shows that 29 per cent patients are from 41-60 age group. Only seven per cent are aged between 61 and 70.

Thirteen per cent patients are aged between 11 and 20 while four per cent are aged between 6-10. Officials said five per cent of the infected were below five years of age.

The state on Saturday reported one death and 17 new cases. The tally of positive cases mounted to 1,061.

The death toll rose to 29. At 2.7 per cent, the mortality rate in the state is almost similar to the national average.

Saturday also recorded the discharge of 35 more patients, taking the total recoveries to 499. Officials said the active cases in Telengana are 533.

The state has a recovery rate of 47 per cent. Health Minister Eatala Rajender claimed that it is the highest among all states in the country.

The Minister said the state had been on alert ever since it reported the first case on March 2. The Health Department in coordination with others traced the contacts of the positive cases, conducted tests and treated them.

“We traced and tracked contacts in each positive case and that’s how we were able to control the spread,” he said.

The authorities succeeded in arresting the spike in the number of cases since last one week, officials said. The daily number of infections slumped to single digit on most days during the week.

The government claimed that steps like strict implementation of lockdown and increased surveillance and door-to-door survey in containment zones was helping in checking the spread.

It is now focusing on six red zone districts, especially Greater Hyderabad which account for more than 50 per cent of the cases.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Three deaths, 22 new cases in Telangana

Telugu360
-
1
Three deaths, 22 new cases in Telangana

After a drop in Covid-19 cases for the last few days, Telangana on Thursday saw a spurt in infections with 22 new cases and three deaths.

Officials said three persons died of Covid-19 and co-morbidities. They include a 44-year-old female and two males, aged 48 and 76. All the three belonged to Greater Hyderabad.

With this, the number of fatalities in the state rose to 28.

With the 22 new cases, the total number rose to 1,038. For last three days the state was reporting cases in single digit but there was sudden spurt on Thursday.

According to officials, the virus from two infected persons spread to three shops owners in Malakpet Gunj Market in Hyderabad and they, in turn, infected their family members. The family members of the shop owners were isolated in hospitals.

Health Minister E. Rajender said Pahadi Shared from where the two infected men hail and Gunj were declared containment zones.

He announced that 33 Covid-19 patients were recovered and discharged on Thursday. They included a 50-year-old doctor.

With this the number of people who recovered and discharged rose to 442. Currently, 568 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Due to sudden jump in number of positive cases on Thursday, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao alerted the Health Department. At a high level meeting, he directed the officials to contain the spread of virus in Greater Hyderabad.

Following this, Rajender called a meeting of senior officials and decided to take strict measures in containment zones.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Petition in HC against YSRCP leaders for lockdown violations

Telugu360
-
0
Petition in HC against YSRCP leaders for lockdown violations

Accusing the YSRCP leades of violating lockdown regulations, a lawyer filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking the directions of the court to ensure strict compliance of lockdown directives and Covid-19 related guidelines.

The petitioner, Kishore, contended that the High Court should direct the YSRCP leaders who violated the lockdown regulations to undergo the corona virus tests. In the petition, he named Srikalahasti YSRCP MLA Madhusudhan Reddy, Nagari MLA Roja, Sullurpet MLA Kiliveti Sanjeeviah, Palamaner MLA Venkat Reddy, Chilkaluripeta MLA Rajni as respondents.

The petitioner argued that the lockdown regulations apply to every individual and none is above the law. However, the YSRCP leaders blatantly violated the regulations by taking out rallies and organising large gatherings, the petitioner contended.

The country is under a lockdown to combat the Covid-19 lockdown and while public gatherings are banned, in blatant disregard of physical distancing, YSRCP MLA Madhusudhan Reddy took out massive tractor rally to distribute rice to the people in Srikalahasti. The rally saw a large turnout of the YSRCP MLA’s supporters, a posse of police personnel on bandobast duties, revenue and ward secretariat staff in full attendance. Post the rally, Srikalahasti reported 36 cases, at least 13 of them are government employees, police officers who were part of the rally bandobast. Till that time not a single corona case was reported in Srikalahasti. As per the Government Order dated March 23, gatherings of more than four people are not to be allowed at any public place. However, the meeting held in Vemulavalasa, Anandapuram mandal, Visakhapatnam district, was attended by several people.

Similarly, Sullurupeta legislator Kiliveti Sanjeevaiah led a rally with more than two dozen tractors to distribute the essentials among people in 59 villages.
Palamaner MLA Venkat Reddy inaugurated a bridge with about 150 people in his constituency in Chittoor district where the highest number of coronavirus cases have been reported. He did not maintain social distancing. Later, he abused the media when they questioned about his actions.

Nagari YSRCP MLA Roja participated in a borewell inauguration programme with her followers. A video surfaced where the villagers were showering flower petals on her feet while she was walking down the road. Reportedly, even though she was seen wearing a mask and gloves, several people had lined up on either side of the road.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

For 4th day, AP reports double digit rise in corona cases. Lifting lockdown good idea?

Telugu360
-
0
For 4th day, AP reports double digit rise in corona cases. Lifting lockdown good idea?

For the fourth straight day, Andhra Pradesh reported double digit rise in coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours as the state prepares for a gradual easing of its lockdown from next week.

The state government confirmed 71 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, taking the total in the state to 1,403, according to the latest health bulletin. The state seems to be in the spotlight as it struggles to deal with a wave of infections at a time the country is witnessing a downward trend in the number of Covid-19 cases.

There were more than 82 infections in the previous 72 hours, compared with 74 new infections a day earlier and 73 the day before that.

While no new deaths due to Covid-19 were reported, 321 patients were discharged from hospitals in different districts of the state, a government bulletin said. Around 1,051 patients are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Fourty three fresh cases were registered in Kurnool, four each in Guntur and Krishna districts, three in Chitoor.

Numbers show a sharp upward trend with at least 250 new cases reported in the last week. While Telangana showed a steady decline in the number of coronavirus cases in single digits in the last one week, AP’s corona figures seem to be in acceleration phase. The health principal secretary Jawahar Reddy attributed the higher number of corona cases to the increased number of testing. “We have stepped up testing. We have also stepped up community surveillance in the corona virus affected clusters and hence more cases are getting detected,” Jawahar Reddy said on Wednesday. This implies that the Opposition was correct when it said the government was not testing enough

Kurnool continues to have highest number of cases at 386, followed by Guntur and Krishna with 287 and 240 cases respectively, according to a health bulletin released by the government on Thursday.

The surge in number of cases was because of the lopsided policies of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy who consistently downplayed the public health risk of the burgeoning pandemic while the state administration has been slow to respond to the crisis. Chandrababu Naidu squarely blamed the state government’s lack of foresight in tackling the virus. The government had spent much of its time in vendetta politics, was more focussed on elections to civic bodies than containing corona virus apart from being caught in a vortex of legal battles and personal attacks against political detractors

Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday announced that there will be considerable lockdown relaxations in many districts in the state from May 3. Experts fear that if the complete lockdown is lifted there could be a second wave of infections in the state. They fear community transmission will take place as people move around and it will be difficult to contain the virus. ICMR and Health Ministry research shows that community transmission has occurred in 36 districts in 15 States. This confirmation must lead to an expansion and change in testing strategy especially in high focus areas for the lockdown to be more meaningful.

“If you lift the lockdown, you must make sure you have a strategy that will minimise the risk of a secondary pandemic wave that could cause more deaths,” senior TDP leader and former MLA Anuradha opined.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Corona cases in AP unabated. 73 new cases, tally at 1,332

Telugu360
-
1
Corona cases in AP unabated. 73 new cases, tally at 1,332

Covid-19 may not be what Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy thought – common cold and fever. The spurt in coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh continued unabated as 73 more cases were added in the last 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 1,332. While no new deaths due to Covid-19 were reported, 281 patients were discharged from hospitals in different districts of the state, a government bulletin said. Twenty three fresh cases were registered in Kurnool, 13 cases were reported in Krishna district.

Kurnool continues to have highest number of cases at 343, followed by Guntur and Krishna with 283 and 236 cases respectively, according to a health bulletin released by the government on Wedensday. Can Andhra Pradesh contain its growing caseload of coronavirus infections before its health system is overwhelmed? Numbers show a sharp upward trend with at least 200-250 new cases reported in the last week. While Telangana showed a steady decline in the number of coronavirus cases in single digits in the last one week, AP’s corona figures seem to be in acceleration phase. The health principal secretary Jawahar Reddy attributed the higher number of corona cases to the increased number of testing. This implies that the Opposition was correct when it said the government was not testing enough.

One of the primary factors for the growing numbers is the way the government mishandled the situation from day one. Jagan dealt with it way too casually right from the beginning despite early warnings from Chandrababu Naidu. The casual approach reflected in Jagan’s personal beliefs and views on corona. Even once it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic was a real threat, Jagan downplayed the outbreak. He compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu, when the Covid-19 is in fact much deadlier and more contagious than the flu. He called concerns raised by the Opposition about the virus a hoax.

The surge in number of cases was because of the lopsided policies of the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy who consistently downplayed the public health risk of the burgeoning pandemic while the state administration has been slow to respond to the crisis. Chandrababu Naidu squarely blamed the state government’s lack of foresight in tackling the virus. The government had spent much of its time in vendetta politics, was more focussed on elections to civic bodies than containing corona virus apart from being caught in a vortex of legal battles and personal attacks against political detractors.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Coronavirus Row: Tollywood actors on a Firm Stand

Telugu360
-
1
Coronavirus Row: Tollywood actors on a Firm Stand

The coronavirus wave brought life to a halt. The film industry is badly impacted and it takes months to get back things to normal. Several producers already came to the conclusion that it is quite tough to start the shoots even if the lockdown gets lifted. There should be huge preventive measures and steps to be followed if the shoots get reinstated. Right from thermal screening to the use of sanitizers, face masks, gloves and others, everything should be taken special care of. The budget gets heaped up and there would be no outdoor permissions given for the shoots for a few months. The life of around 200 unit members (per film shoot) would be at risk on a regular basis.

It is heard that most of the Tollywood actors are not ready to join the sets until the vaccination for coronavirus is found. Some of the actors even discussed this with their producers asking them not to hurry and take the risk during this critical time. As there would be no terrifying situations once the vaccine is out, film shoots can happen in a smooth manner suggests most of the actors. Even the actresses, character artists and technicians may not take a risk and participate in the shoot till the fear of coronavirus vanishes away.

Some of the producers are keen to convince the actors as they are losing big amounts due to the delay. Going with the facts, it is quite risky and also a strain for the makers to start the shoots in this tough time.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

4 staff at AP Raj Bhavan test Corona +ve, alarming rise in Krishna

Telugu360
-
0
4 staff at AP Raj Bhavan test Corona +ve, alarming rise in Krishna

Krishna district has reported 52 Coronavirus cases in a single day. This has triggered widespread fears and official machinery stepped up lockdown restrictions further. The top officials were shaken after four staffers at AP Raj Bhavan located in the heart of Vijayawada city tested positive for the virus. The staffers were identified as Chief Security Officer, a medical staff nurse, a butler and one house keeping person. None of them has any travel history, forcing the district administration to enquire whether community transmission has picked up in the district. However, one of the staff recently visited Hyderabad. Based on this, the district officials took up contact tracing now.

Following this, the authorities have proposed to do virus tests on the Governor as well. Also, nearly 14 staff in the health team at Raj Bhavan were placed under strict quarantine. Tests are being carried out on all of them.

While Krishna reported 52 new cases in last 24 hours, overall AP reported 81 cases. The total cases reached 1,097 cases in AP. The district officials are further tightening the lockdown restrictions in all areas following latest reports.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

In Kurnool , 6 in YSRCP MP family tested corona positive

Telugu360
-
0
In Kurnool , 6 in YSRCP MP family tested corona positive

In a shocking development, Kurnool MP Sanjeev Kumar admitted that there are 6 Corona cases within his family. He also made some sensational statements that put YSRCP leaders in an embarrassing position. Details as below:

Sanjeev Kumar, Kurnool MP, is also a doctor, and most of his family members also doctors. MP admitted that 6 of his family members, including his octogenarian father also confirmed Covid-19 disease. He also made a shocking statement that Corona spread is in 4th phase in Kurnool and it is spreading very fast in the district. These statements put YSRCP leaders in an extremely embarrassing position as they have been claiming that Jagan’s government is effectively curbing the spread of Coronavirus in the state. In fact, Vijaya Sai Reddy tweeted that the World Health Organization also inquiring about the steps taken by the Jagan government to arrest the spread of Corona.

Officials suggested MP Sanjeev Kumar also to be in quarantine as his family members have been reported Corona. We will have to wait and see how YSRCP leaders respond to the statements of MP.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Doctor treated us like his children, say patients at Hyderabad hospital

Telugu360
-
0
Doctor treated us like his children, say patients at Hyderabad hospital

Some of the Covid-19 patients, who were discharged from state-run Gandhi Hospital here after recovery, were all praise for the doctors and the other staff saying hospital superintendent Dr Raja Rao treated them like his children.

The patients, most of them members of Tablighi Jamaat, walked out of hospital after completion of the treatment, showering lavish praise on the government and hospital authorities for making best arrangements for their treatment and for providing quality food.

Most of those discharged praised the doctors, the paramedics and other staff the concern and dedication of. The services of hospital superintendent Dr Raja Rao came in for special praise.

“He treated us like his children,” said one of the youngsters after emerging from the hospital, which is the state nodal centre for Covid-19.

“Dr Raja Rao gave us a lot of encouragement. He advised us to remain strong and told us that we should not be too scared of the disease. His words were reassuring,” said a man from Sangareddy district.

“We all used to wait for Dr Raja Rao to bring the good news (of our testing positive). He used to visit us two-three times a day. It was the best treatment we could have received,” said a man from Warangal.

Dr Raja Rao was Deputy Superintendent of the hospital till Superintendent Dr P. Sharavan Kumar was appointed state coordinator to tackle Covid-19.

The discharged said Gandhi Hospital, being a government-run facility, they had never expected such arrangements but were surprised to get the best treatment and the care.

About a dozen recovered patients shared their experiences before the camera and the videos were posted on Twitter by Health Minister Eatala Rajender, apparently to counter what he called false propaganda by opposition and some people on social media about lack of proper facilities at Gandhi Hospital.

“There are no complaints, especially about food. We got VIP food. We received full cooperation from everybody in the hospital and we also extended all the cooperation and behaved well,” said a patient.

They said though they spent 23 days at the hospital the time flew by.

“We were getting a good healthy breakfast, then tea, biscuits, eggs along with lunch, dry fruits in the evening, then tea biscuits followed by nutritious dinner. Perhaps we would not have got such food even at our homes during this lockdown period,” said one of the discharged patients.

“I don’t know how to thank the doctors, other medical staff, security guards and the police who are serving the people with dedication. We will pray for their well-being,” said a man.

The experiences of the recovered patients came as reassuring to authorities, especially to the medical community amid reports of attacks on doctors and other healthcare professionals serving on the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.

Gandhi Hospital itself had seen an untoward incident early this month when a Covid-19 patient had manhandled a doctor following the death of his relative in the same ward.

Telangana has so far reported 990 Covid-19 patients, an overwhelming majority belonging to Tablighi Jamaat who attended a congregation at Jamaat’s Markaz or headquarters in Delhi last month, their relatives or other contacts.

With the discharge of 16 patients from Gandhi Hospital on Saturday, the number of recoveries rose to 307.

According to officials, 658 persons are currently undergoing treatment in Gandhi and other hospitals.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

In age of corona, poll canvassing in AP: Recklessness of YSRCP leaders endangering lives

Telugu360
-
18
In age of corona, poll canvassing in AP: Recklessness of YSRCP leaders endangering lives

The sudden onslaught of the corona ‘mahamarri’ has led to the postponement of civic body elections in Andhra Pradesh. We thanked Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar for that. Elections were postponed. We thought it was time to focus on fighting the pandemic, keeping people safe and getting front line warriors the resources they need. But NO, we were wrong.

The leaders from the ruling dispensation were in the mood for elections. Corona situation in the state has put a spotlight on Andhra Pradesh response to the pandemic. Strangely, it has not cast a shadow over the election campaign. It did not upend the traditional political canvassing as we know it. Rallies, meeting people in groups without maintaining physical distancing norms, distributing cash and knocking on doors of people in corona affected areas, everything seemed like election campaigning than relief works. We thought the corona situation would put politics in an entirely new perspective in the state. The YSRCP leaders proved this as our wishful thinking. The lockdown regulation prohibits large gatherings, makes physical distancing non-negotiable. However, only individuals must act responsibly, not the politicians. The red zones are not corona affected areas, but constituencies. For some leaders in the ruling dispensation, the faces hiding behind the protective masks are voters, and not helpless, worried and terrified people. When the YSRCP visited the corona affected areas, it seemed like they were on election tour, visiting their constituencies to seek votes. It was a usual scene, YSRCP ‘netas’ with folded hands, handing out food with faces of Jagan on the packets. All the typical activities of a election campaign — canvassing for votes, trying to drive political conversations, grabbing the public’s attention— all this in a time of deadly crisis.

When YSRCP MLA Madhusudhan Reddy took out a rally in Chittoor’s Srikalahasti, it was a vulgar display of arrogance, abuse of power and nonchalant attitude. The YSRCP MLA’s massive tractor rally to distribute rice to the people in Srikahalasti looked as if we were in an election year. At the rally, there was a large turnout of the YSRCP MLA’s supporters, a posse of police personnel on bandobast duties, revenue and ward secretariat staff in full attendance. The Jagan administration looked largely incompetent in stopping the MLA masquerading on the streets and whose incompetence and recklessness have threatened the lives of many, many people in the state. Post the rally, Srikalahasti reported 36 cases, at least 13 of them are government employees, police officers who were part of the rally bandobast. Till that time not a single corona case was reported in Srikalahasti.

Former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said the government employees contracted the virus while performing bandobust duties during the rally took out by the YSRCP MLA. “Who is responsible for this? In Chittoor, 56 cases were reported, around 36 cases in Srikalahasti.

Had the CM restrained his MLA, the Srikalahasti incident would not have led to 13 government staff contracting the virus,’’ he fired.

“The YSRCP party leaders are spreading the virus by making door-to-door visits to the people. Do you expect us to keep quiet while the YSRCP leaders spread the virus,” Naidu asked.

What action did the Jagan government take against the irresponsible MLA? If the Opposition parties point accusing fingers at the government, the Cabinet ministers resort to personal attacks, pour vitriol on the Opposition leaders.

Such display of arrogance is not an isolated case, but a common refrain across the state. In Nellore, another YSRCP MLA Nallapreddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy organized food and grocery distribution programme. The lockdown rules were thrown out of the window. Hundreds of supporters of the MLA took part in the programme. None of them wore masks and none of them maintained physical distance. It did not look one bit social work. The MLA with folded hands was a typical photo op during the election season.

A large group of YSRCP activists led by the party’s ZPTC and MPTC contesting candidates handed out cash to the people across the state claiming that it was being distributed by the party president and state Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The candidates were caught on camera uttering “Jagan anna asked us to distribute this money. Jagan anna asked us to give Rs 1,000.” The TDP leaders accused that the YSRCP leaders were using the central disaster funds for their political gains ahead of the elections. These gatherings could be willfully dangerous to public health. YSRCP should treat people as people and not see voters in them. Apart from physical distancing, what we need in India is political distancing.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

40 guests stuck in a Telangana house amid lockdown

Telugu360
-
1
40 guests stuck in a Telangana house amid lockdown

About 40 people from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, who had come for a wedding, are stuck with the host at his house for over a month in Telangana’s Sangareddy district.

A total of 46 persons, including six family members of the host are living in a small house in Bollarum Industrial Area in Sangareddy, facing severe hardships, amid the social distancing norms that should be followed amid the deadly Covid-19 outbreak.

They had come from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to attend the marriage of Gali Narayana Rao’s son on March 20. Even as they were getting ready to return on March 23, the sudden lockdown was announced.

With no other option available, they stayed in the host’s house. They all are using a single washroom. The guests have been spending the night on the terrace. With rising temperature, even that has turned into an unbearable option.

Narayana Rao, the host, is struggling to provide food for his guests, including women and children. When he approached the police to request them to make some arrangement for the guests to return to their homes, they could only arrange three quintal rice and vegetables.

The local police officer conveyed to Rao that they can’t arrange travel for the guests and can only help by providing ration.

One of the guests said they had booked their train tickets for March 23 but the lockdown began in Telangana the same day. The state has now extended the lockdown till May 7.

They have appealed to the government to make some arrangements to send them back to their homes.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

COVID-19 tally touches 813, death toll 24 in AP

Telugu360
-
0
COVID-19 tally touches 813, death toll 24 in AP

The COVID-19 tally in Andhra Pradesh climbed to 813 on Wednesday morning. The state nodal officer reported that 56 new cases were detected in the 24 hours ending 10 a.m. Wednesday. Continuing the trend witnessed over the past few weeks, Kurnool and Guntur districts, with 19 cases each, reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state.

Apart from the two districts, Kadapa, Prakasam and Nellore districts reported five, four and three new cases respectively.

Meanwhile, with two more persons succumbing to the pandemic, the death toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 24 in the state. With 120 persons discharged from hospital, the effective number of COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 613.

With the latest updates, Kurnool district has once again taken the lead over Guntur district, in terms of cumulative numbers of cases. While Kurnool’s tally is 203, Guntur has reported a total of 177 cases till now. The Krishna and Nellore districts have reported 86 and 67 cases respectively.

With no sign of the numbers abating, the state government has intensified its efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic in the state. Apart from ordering 16 crore face masks for distribution among the state’s 5.3 crore residents, the state government has begun to focus upon testing in the afflicted clusters.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Telangana’s T-Works develops affordable ventilator

Telugu360
-
0
Telangana’s T-Works develops affordable ventilator

T-Works, Telangana government’s hardware incubator and prototyping lab, has developed an affordable mechanical ventilator for emergency use, in collaboration with different start-ups and corporations.

The open-source Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) ventilator, which costs Rs 65,000 to Rs 1 lakh, is expected to come handy if Covid-19 pandemic spreads and can be deployed for worldwide use.

T-Works CEO Karampuri Sujai on Monday gave demonstration of the ventilator developed under the guidance of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) – a plug and play device that operates similar to existing ventilators and is focused on Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) affected patients who are at higher risk.

He said NIMS hospital tested the device and they plan to go for further certifications. He said T-Works was ready to partner with local manufacturers for bulk manufacturing.

While it does not compete with the sophisticated ventilators used in hospital, it can come handy in an emergency. It can gauge the tidal volume, breaths per minute, oxygen concentration, minimum residual pressure and other health parameters.

The low-cost ventilators can be used by primary health care centres in rural areas and in ambulances. The developers believe such ventilators will be useful at a time when there is world-wide shortage of conventional ventilators, which costs anywhere between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh each.

The project involved over 20 members of various startups and corporate, including talent deployed by Honeywell and Qualcomm. Apollo Hospitals, Sunshine Hospitals and Prathima Hospitals, IIT Hyderabad, Mouser and GE Healthcare, Specteochem Instruments and others were also part of the project.

T-Works, which is working on multiple projects in collaboration with innovators from across India, earlier helped in development of aerosol boxes, protective equipment to aid the frontline healthcare providers involved in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Can Government come clean on alleged Rs 36 Cr Corona kits scam?

Telugu360
-
1
Can Government come clean on alleged Rs 36 Cr Corona kits scam?

Chhattisgarh Government directly bought Corona testing kits from South Korean company at Rs. 337 per kit. Now, questions are being asked where was the need for AP Government to give procurement contract to a third party company. Even in that case, the contract was given to Sandor Medicaids of which one of the directors is Kasiralla Venkata Muralidhar Reddy who is business partner of a Minister’s brother in Kurnool district.

Now, to cover up the scam, the AP Government has written to Sandor expressing its anger over differential costs of kits supplied to Chhattisgarh and AP. Actually, YSRCP Government has been boasting from the beginning that it has bought Korean kits directly. From CM to Ministers, everybody spoke a lot about how the kits were brought in a special flight to AP. But, as per the contract, it is clear that Sandor is supposed to have brought kits. At the time of launch of the kits, neither CM nor Health Minister talked about involvement of Sandor in procurement process.

One tweet by Chhattisgarh Minister on kit price has triggered the whole controversy. Otherwise, it would have died a natural death. Anyhow, social media went wild asking hundreds of questions on CM Jagan’s claims of transparency. Initially, Government threatened to file cases saying that it bought kits at Rs. 700 but some launched malicious campaign saying cost was Rs. 1,200. Later, Special Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy clarified that the cost was just Rs. 640. Again, a copy of government’s order to Sandor came out. It put kit price at Rs. 730.

Obviously, Jagan Regime is now under a never before pressure to prove that there were no attempts to loot Rs 36 Cr public money in Corona kits.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Lifting lockdown restrictions is not end of epidemic: WHO

Telugu360
-
1
Lifting lockdown restrictions is not end of epidemic: WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday that lifting lockdown restrictions for COVID-19 is not the end of the epidemic, it’s just the beginning of the next phase.

Speaking at the Group of 20 (G20) Health Ministers virtual meeting from Geneva, the WHO chief said it’s vital in this next phase that countries educate, engage and empower their people to prevent and respond rapidly to any resurgence, Xinhua reported.

“We are encouraged that several G20 countries are now starting to plan how to ease social restrictions. It is critical that these measures are a phased process,” he said.

Tedros told the health ministers that the WHO is deeply concerned that the virus now appears to be gathering pace in countries that lack the capacity of many G20 countries to respond to it.

“Urgent support is needed, not only to support countries to respond to COVID-19, but to ensure other essential health services continue,” he said.

Tedros also took the opportunity to thank Saudi Arabia for its support to the global fight against the virus. Saudi Arabia announced Thursday a $500 million donation to relevant international organizations to support global efforts in combating the COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of a simple truth: we are one humanity. We share the same planet. We share the same hopes and dreams. We share the same destiny,” the WHO chief said.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Andhra conducts 5,508 Covid-19 tests in a day

Telugu360
-
0
Andhra conducts 5,508 Covid-19 tests in a day

he Andhra Pradesh government, here on Sunday, claimed that its doctors had set a record by conducting 5,508 Covid-19 tests a day, taking the second place among states conducting maximum number of tests per million.

The doctors achieved the record on Saturday even without using the rapid test kits, which are now available in the state. This was revealed at a review meeting, held by Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, here on Sunday, on the containment of coronavirus.

The testing processing would be intensified in 7-10 days by conducting over 17,500 tests a day. The officials said the health personnel would start using random test kits in two days.

Random tests will be conducted in the red zones while 32,000 identified in family survey will also be tested.

The officials briefed the Chief Minister about the steps being taken in Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna and Nellore districts. The Chief Minister asked officials to focus on the red zones.

He said special care should be taken in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the hospitals for which a special drive should be taken up once in every two-three days.

Chief Secretary Neelam Sahney, Director General of Police Gautam Sawang and Medical and Health Special Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy were among those who attended the meeting.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

COVID-19: 43 new cases, Telangana’s tally 809

Telugu360
-
0
COVID-19: 43 new cases, Telangana’s tally 809

With 43 more coronavirus positive cases coming to notice, the total such cases in Telangana rose to 809 on Saturday.

According to a bulletin released by the Health Department, with no deaths reported on Saturday the state’s death toll remains 18. There were no recoveries reported during the day. The number of people discharged till now is 186.

Once again, Greater Hyderabad accounted for most new cases. As many as 31 people in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits tested positive. Gadwal reported 7 cases, followed by Sircilla and Ranga Reddy with two each and Nalgonda one.

There are 605 active cases under treatment in hospitals.

The department requested citizens to report to the nearest government health facility in case they had travelled to Tablighi Markaz meeting in Delhi or contacted any attendee.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

123...8Page 2 of 8

TRENDING

Latest

css.php
[X] Close
[X] Close